Recipe: Bulgar & Lamb Meatballs (& me in Cooking Light!)

I'm a Twitter junkie and am always watching brands and publications for fun opportunities and found a great one from @CookingLight. They are working with author and host Allison Fishman on "The Twelve" and having real readers implement 12 healthy habits in 2011.

Every month, Allison chooses a new reader to take on that months challenge and for April - SHE CHOSE ME! The challenge is a big one - eat three servings of whole grains EVERY DAY! I probably don't eat three in a month! But she's working with me to figure it out.

And later today, there will be a blog from Allison about me and the April challenge! I'll add a link once it's up.

I must say - using these fresh and natural ingredients sure does make pretty food! First I soaked the bulgur for a couple of minutes and then drained it. Then added parsley and dill.

Seriously - look how pretty it is!!!

I added a "meatloaf mix" instead of straight lamb and didn't use eggs in the meatballs - but they stuck together just fine. I was a bit apprehensive about "boiling" the meatballs rather than frying them - but went for it anyway!

I also ended up using a can of Rotel Hot Tomatoes because that's all that was in the cabinet - and they were HOT!!! I tried to keep out some of the habaneros because I didn't want to ruin the meal - but it turned out okay. I also substituted beef broth for the red wine and threw in a can of mushrooms.

The recipe mentions serving this over rice - I was in the mood for pasta but went the healthy route with Whole Wheat pasta.

And voila! A sprinkle of parmesan and dinner is served!

It tasted great - a little spicy but I really enjoyed it. I'd say next time I would use the Muir Glen tomatoes because they are so wonderful, add a touch more of salt and add a small can of tomato sauce.

The bulgar sort of takes the place of the breadcrumbs and there's still enough meat to not make them taste funky. It's a very light dish with lots of flavor.

I hope you enjoy and let me know if you eat whole grains...I'll continue to share throughout the month of April about my challenge.